Fighting Hunger: 8 Ways to Give Back

Food may be an important part of your day (it certainly is for us in the Test Kitchen), but for millions of people worldwide, hunger is a major issue. We tracked down some of the best ways for food lovers to help others and give back.

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1. Host a bake saleHere's a way to make cupcakes even sweeter: Sell them for a good cause! Serve up some cookies, candies, cupcakes, and snacks to your friends, family, and neighbors and donate the proceeds. We hosted our own bake sale here in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, and we LOVED having the chance to whip up some sweets, see our coworkers, and raise money for for No Kid Hungry. We ended up selling enough sweets to provide children with 17,000 meals! You can do it, too — see how to get started.

2. Pitch in at your local food pantry Don't wait till Thanksgiving to help out; spend your Saturdays volunteering. Food banks need helpers all year round (and some have extra programs to help feed hungry kids over the summer!). Having trouble finding one nearby? Check out Feeding America's database, or try typing the name of your town and "food bank" or "soup kitchen" into Google, and see what comes up. Idealist and VolunteerMatch also make it easy to find places to help out.

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3. Score deals at the supermarket, and then spread the wealth Cut out coupons, buy pantry staples in bulk, and keep an eye out for buy one, get one free deals. if you don't have time to volunteer, you can at least drop off your steals (good buys?) at the food pantry — it's a great way to help others without breaking the bank.

Also, pay attention to more than just the price tags the next time you're at the store. When possible, buy local or from socially responsible companies. Plus, keep an eye out for products whose proceeds benefit charity. Toms recently released a line of coffee that provides one person with water for a week, when you buy.

5. Make a monetary donation Make a donation to your local food bank or favorite hunger-fighting charity. Collect loose change and aim to make a monthly donation. Every dollar counts! We're partnering with No Kid Hungry, and every dollar raised connects a child with up to 10 meals. Join us in our fight to end child hunger, or check out some of our other favorite food-related charities.

4. Share the taste of homemade Sometimes we forget how simple and beautiful a made-from-scratch dinner really is. Select Ronald McDonald House Charities locations allow groups to come into their kitchen to whip up a homemade meal for all their guests — a delicious treat for these families.

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5. Celebrate birthdays the charitable way Instead of presents, ask friends and family for donations. Seth Meyers, Amanda Seyfried, Justin Bieber, and Dr. Oz all raised money for Charity: Water through birthday campaigns.

6. Kill time for a good cause Take a break from Candy Crush, and spend some time on FreeRice.com. For every vocabulary word you get right (great for SAT-studiers!), the World Food Program donates 10 grains of rice. Play for hours and see the donations add up — so much more satisfying than making it to the next level.

7. Give someone in need a ride Got a car? Offer elderly neighbors or local families without cars a lift to the grocery store. Or, volunteer with organizations like Meals on Wheels and deliver food to seniors and those with limited mobility.

8. Spread the word Raise awareness about causes you care about — talk with friends, follow charities on Facebook, retweet tweets, snap photos for Instagram, mail out letters, or start a blog. Social media and word of mouth are great tools for inspiring others to get involved!

TELL US: What do you do to help others in need?

Trish Clasen is an editorial assistant in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen.

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